Alternate day / Intermittent fasting results anyone?

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  • andiebaco
    andiebaco Posts: 211 Member
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    Sounds horrible!!! Sorry but I work out and like to be active, and I would have zero energy if I didn't eat.

    I did IF for 8 months and had no energy issues..I trained fasted all the time and enjoyed it...

    Did you weight train on IF?

    I suppose you could fast on days you don't lift.

    People doing IF actually lift heavy during their fasting period and they have no problems.

    I don't weight heavy yet (working on that!) but I do it during fasting days... I see no issues or whatever.
  • WanderingPomme
    WanderingPomme Posts: 601 Member
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    I've been trying it out for 11 days already! I started out with 16:8, switched to 14:10 but then yesterday did 18:6. LOL I don't know how that'll affect the results. They said 14:10 was better for women! So far so good.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,657 Member
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    Although 5:2 wasn't right for me long term, but I had quite a lot of success when I did this for 3 months. If psychologically you tolerate occasional extreme deprivation better than long term low level deprivation it can be turned into a permanent lifestyle. My old GP (another city) used to fast one day a week whenever he noticed his weight creeping upwards.

    I would recommend giving it a go just to learn the difference between real physical hunger and feeling peckish. There are some 5;2 and IF groups on the boards.
  • AlishaW1985
    AlishaW1985 Posts: 4
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    I am starting this same kind of fast today! I hope to see some good results as I have about 60 lbs to lose! Happy Fasting everyone!
  • AlishaW1985
    AlishaW1985 Posts: 4
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    How long did it take you to lose the 50lbs? Congrats by the way! =)
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
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    If I tried to fast, I'd probably go crazy, lose control and eat the whole house! But that's my problem, not yours. To each his own.
  • Lifegetsfatat50
    Lifegetsfatat50 Posts: 15
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    I've just read the 5:2 diet and the positives sound amazing. It suggesst ADF but I don t think I can do that. Well done you for sticking it
  • unidestiny
    unidestiny Posts: 4
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    Hello there, I'm glad to find out that you've had success with on ADF! I've just started on it because I find it much easier to not eat at all rather than eat a small amount of food. Eating anything just makes my brain crave for more. At least on the ADF I know I just have to cope with hunger pangs and then eat freely the next day. And following Michael Moseley's documentary on fasting, I'm convinced that fasting is safe and contrary to what mainstream society believes, can actually have many positive effects biologically on the body. I would love to be able to complete the 3 day fast that he did sometime but right now I think ADF is more manageable for me!
  • Heather29angel
    Heather29angel Posts: 5 Member
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    So I have been eating 1500 calories for 3 weeks and have lost 16 lbs. but I think most of it has to do with me working out 2 hours every night at the gym lol I have went off of my diet (calorie wise) and couldn't stand being away nfrom fast food and diet coke completely so I was hoping this diet really works I am buying the book tomorrow! :-) I do not think my energy would be down too much because I am still in eating plenty every other day :-) With me just knowing the next morning I can eat a normal amount of food will be will power enough for me to be able to fast...before dieting I only ate once a day anyway!
  • MaxxedMan
    MaxxedMan Posts: 1
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    http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(06)00089-2/abstract

    There are actually a lot of proven health benefits, including longer lifespans
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    You guys have fun.
    I prefer to eat EVERY day.

    There are several versions.........

    Some where you eat between the hours of XX and XX.....and others where you "diet" 2 (non-consecutive) days a week. The 2 diet days take getting used to (500 calories for women, 600 calories for men)...........but the rest of the week you eat maintenance.

    This is a good fit for some people .....I've been interested for awhile.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
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    Well there's plans like 5:2 where you eat 500 calories twice a week and your TDEE on other days, and then there's three day a week total fasting. Given that a goal of any weight loss plan is to create healthier eating habits and develop a pattern of eating that is appropriate for weight loss and then maintenance, I'd say that living off green tea for half your week doesn't fit into that category.

    If you're not intending to do this for the rest of your life why not just eat at a deficit and learn how to moderate what you eat on a daily basis? Like, the way the majority of long-term successful MFPers have done?
  • WhataBroad
    WhataBroad Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I do 18:6 and absolutely love it. It is a lifestyle that many people can't get their heads around in many instances but for me, it has been absolutely awesome! It hasn't always been just about weight loss as much as just freedom from thinking about food all day long and constantly eating. When I am in fat loss mode, I restrict my calories as I would if I was eating 5/6 times a day and when I am training, I do 16:8 and eat at or as close to maintenance. For me, I was always hungry when I had to stretch my meals out over the day, high protein and fat or not and I have never been a breakfast eater With IF, I still eat 2 meals and snacks, with high protein focus and satiety is a big reason why it works for me. I certainly haven't lost any energy from it. I do fasted cardio in the mornings and then my lifting sessions after work are in a fed state.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Well there's plans like 5:2 where you eat 500 calories twice a week and your TDEE on other days, and then there's three day a week total fasting. Given that a goal of any weight loss plan is to create healthier eating habits and develop a pattern of eating that is appropriate for weight loss and then maintenance, I'd say that living off green tea for half your week doesn't fit into that category.

    If you're not intending to do this for the rest of your life why not just eat at a deficit and learn how to moderate what you eat on a daily basis? Like, the way the majority of long-term successful MFPers have done?

    I don't think it needs to be an either/or

    I kind of like the idea of dieting 2 days a week.....and eating maintenance the other 5.......instead of dieting 7 days a week. Most people using MFP are in fact dieting 7 days a week. Most people don't have the patience to eat their "future maintenance" calories as a long-term method to losing weight.

    I would still be logging food, eating healthier, and exercising....that part remains the same. I think an integral part of 5:2 would be logging food. Without logging, your non-fasting days could become free-for-alls. After all when I go to maintenance.....I will be eating (slightly) more than I am now. So I would continue to log calories .......drop 1 fasting day.....see where my weight is at.............then drop the last fasting day....provided my "new maintenance" is where I think it is.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    You actually DO eat every day on the ADF.
    The Alternate Day Fast is kind of a misnomer as you dont technically go a whole "day" without eating. You just go 24 hours.
    I know, sounds like the same thing and when I first tried it I was failing miserable until I read the book about it and something clicked in my mind.

    It is easy to start, I recommend on a sunday for dinner. Eat at lets say 7pm. You then fast again until 7pm the next evening. Then you can eat normally (healthier you eat the better) until 7pm the next time.

    And repeat.

    Once I figured that out it made it so much easier as you never went a day without eating. (I do realize 24 hours is technically a day, but we generally consider a day as the time we wake till we go to bed).

    It was, surprisingly "easy". The first time or two you fast it was a little odd, but by the 3rd time it was pretty easy. If you are getting hungry you know that come dinner time you get to eat again.

    The auther likes the 2pm to 2pm cycle, but whatever works best.
  • ndoty_sa
    ndoty_sa Posts: 8
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    LOLZ to "Sounds horrible!!! Sorry but I work out and like to be active" on the first page; I'm pretty sure our ancient predecessors got plenty of activity without constant access to food.

    And Brad Pilon and Martin Berkham look pretty healthy to me.

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